Bassi, GOP opponents fight hard in the 54th

He said Bassi has been an ineffective legislator who has failed to improve the district.

"Where has Suzie been in Springfield?" Kostka asked.

Bassi has raised nearly $50,000, compared with $5,800 for Sutarik, according to the latest state election board filings. Kostka said he had raised less than $3,000 by Dec. 31.

Bassi said neither of her challengers is prepared for Springfield. Sutarik has never held elected office, and neither is a college graduate, she said. Sutarik's assertion that she voted present about one-third of the time is a perfect example of her lack of understanding, Bassi said.

Like many House Republicans, Bassi said, she voted present to protest Democrat-sponsored budget bills that "came to us with no way of paying for them. We weren't going to vote on a bill until [Democrats] told us how they were going to pay for them."

Bill O'Connor, chief of staff for House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego), said voting present is almost a routine practice, not just when voting on unfunded budget bills but also on "shell" bills--bills without content that are filed after a committee deadline to be attached to an amendment later.